American Scandal - The Kidnapping of Patty Hearst | The Plot | 1

Episode Date: November 1, 2022

Media heiress Patricia Hearst moves to Berkeley, intent on building a new life. In Oakland, a group of political radicals plot a deadly attack.Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. Start your free trial in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or visit https://wondery.app.link/rUic7i1hMNb now.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You're listening to the first episode of this American Scandal season. With Wondery+, you can binge the remaining episodes, listen to new episodes early, and explore more exclusive seasons completely ad-free. Start your free trial of Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify today. A listener note, this episode contains descriptions of violence and may not be suitable for a younger audience. It's February 4th, 1974. It's a sleepy Monday night in Berkeley, California, and Patricia Hurst is curled up on a couch watching an episode of Mission Impossible on TV. Hurst yawns, and she turns over on the sofa, letting her slippers dangle from the edge

of her toes. Hurst is 19 years old. She's 5'2", petite, with brown hair and bangs. As an undergrad at UC Berkeley, spending an evening watching lowbrow TV isn't exactly her idea of an exciting time. But it's not that bad. At least she has company. Over on the other side of the couch, her fiancé is lounging back with a book in his lap. Steve Weed is a shaggy but handsome 26-year-old with wire-rimmed glasses. He's a philosophy grad student at UC Berkeley, the kind of guy who seems to understand how things really work. And that's a big part of why Hearst was drawn to him. She comes from a wealthy family, a family with one of those names like the Kennedys or the Rockefellers. Her grandfather,

William Randolph Hearst, founded a media empire with a chain of newspapers that helped define America. He was an extraordinarily wealthy man, and he even served as inspiration for the main character in Citizen Kane, the classic Hollywood film. Hearst knows that her grandfather's legacy is worth celebrating, but in recent years, she's grown increasingly disillusioned with her family. She sees them as stuffy and bourgeois,

and she's wanted to get away from all the trappings of their wealth. Studying art history at Berkeley and running away with an older man, a pot-smoking intellectual at that, seemed like her best chance to embrace a liberal life, one she could lead on her own terms. But tonight, sitting on the couch in her living room, Hearst gets a sinking feeling of doubt. Somehow she's found herself stuck in a routine of suffocating domesticity, cooking, cleaning, catering to her fiancé's needs. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out. Hearst wasn't supposed to become a housewife. But Hearst tries to set aside those thoughts.

She turns her attention back to the TV. The show continues predictably when there's an urgent knock on the front door. Hurst and Weed share a glance. It's late. They're not expecting any visitors. So Weed gets up, with Hurst trailing behind. When he opens the door, they find a young woman outside, looking agitated. Hi, I'm sorry, this is embarrassing. I just backed up and I guess I

hit someone's car in the garage. Hearst glares at the woman. Which car? An MG? A blue sports car? I'm sorry, I'm not sure. It was dark. Well, if it was an MG, that was my car. I'm sorry, I don't know. Can I just come in and use your phone? Well, hang on a second. I'll grab some paper and a pen. You can write down your information and then we'll start making calls. Hearst begins making her way to the kitchen. But with her back turned, she hears a sudden commotion behind her. Hearst spins around and sees two men have burst into the apartment.

They're wearing masks and carrying guns. And the woman from the doorway is now holding a pistol herself and racing toward Hearst. The woman storms forward and suddenly shoves Hearst to the ground. Keep quiet and no one gets hurt. Please don't do this. I won't call the cops, I swear. I said keep quiet. The intruders begin rifling through the apartment

and Hearst looks over at her fiancé, silently pleading for him to do something, anything. Weed gives a subtle nod. And as one of the men comes out of the bedroom, Weed rushes at him, hands outstretched. But the man is quicker and hits Weed in the face, sending him staggering into the hallway. Leaning against a wall, Weed wipes his nose.

Look, look, take my wallet. Take anything you want. Just leave us alone. Hurst is about to call out to join her fiancé in his plea for mercy, but she notices a strange look on his face. Before she can stop him, Weed turns and flees out the back door, leaving Hurst alone with the intruders. Hurst lies on the ground, stunned, as the young woman leans down with a look of menace. Well, now it's just you, me, and my friends, isn't it? What do you want? Where is it? Where's the safe?

We don't have one. I'm not screwing around. Where do you keep your safe? I'm telling you the truth. We don't have one. How the hell do you not have a safe? You're a Hearst. Hearst continues to plead, but the woman has had enough. She shoves a piece

of cloth into Hearst's mouth, gagging her. Then she wraps a blindfold over Hearst's eyes and binds her hands with rope. Hearst is yanked to her feet and dragged out of the apartment. With her eyes covered, she can't see a thing. She only feels the cool night air on her skin and hears the sound of a car's trunk popping open. Hearst doesn't understand what's going on, why her fiancé fled, why these three broke into her apartment. But then she realizes, with those three words, you're a Hearst, they know who she is. And it's at that moment the truth dawns on her. This isn't just a simple robbery. This is a kidnapping. And Patricia Hearst is the target.

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Make sure to listen to Business Wars wherever you get your podcasts. From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American Scandal. In 1974, the country was gripped by a sensational story involving crime, radical politics, and one of the most powerful families in America. Patricia Hearst was an heiress to a corporate empire. Her grandfather, William Randolph Hearst, was a media tycoon who, by the early 1900s, owned one of the largest newspaper chains in the country. Hearst's publications were known for exaggerated stories and provocative headlines, a brand of journalism that sold papers and made a fortune.

So when Patricia Hearst was kidnapped from her apartment, journalists took notice. The event became one of the hottest stories in the media, earning coverage from newspapers, radio stations, TV networks, and magazines, many of them part of the vast empire built by Patricia Hearst's own grandfather. But the saga took an even more shocking turn when Hearst began aligning herself with her captors, a group of radical activists.

The media frenzy soon engulfed Hearst's family, and millions of Americans and a dozen jurors were left with some gnawing questions. Did Patricia Hearst actually become a convert of the radical group that kidnapped her? Or was she just trying to survive? In an age of mass media and celebrity, how culpable were journalists for the way the saga played out and the crimes that would leave Hearst facing the possibility of a long prison sentence? This is Episode 1, The Plot.

It's 1965 in Menlo Park, California, nine years before Patricia Hearst was abducted from her apartment in Berkeley. It's a sunny morning at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Catholic school. In a classroom with brick walls and tall arched windows, Patricia Hurst slides quietly into her desk, trying not to draw attention to herself. The 11-year-old smooths down her pleated skirt. As her teacher begins the day's lesson, Hurst gazes out at the bright blue sky and watches an oak tree rustle in the wind. Hurst should be paying attention. The nun who teaches this class is famously strict and notorious for berating her students if they act out of line.

But Hearst just can't get herself to concentrate. She doesn't like this class. And going to this school wasn't her idea either. It was Hearst's mother who wanted her to attend a Catholic boarding school. Catherine Hearst is a devout Catholic herself, and she wanted her daughter to have a strict religious education. Plus, the boarding school isn't that far from the family's mansion in Hillsborough, California. Patricia can still spend time at home with her mother,

father, and four sisters. And over the summer, they can all still travel to San Simeon and the famous Hurst Castle there. The family estate spans 86,000 acres. It's a property Hearst has always found to be enchanting. She gets to ride horses and commune with nature. There, Hearst feels like she can be herself, get some distance from her mother's lessons about etiquette and religion. But sitting in a classroom at her boarding school, Hearst can only daydream about summers on her family estate.

She gazes out the window, staring at the trees, and Hurst is lost in her fantasy. She doesn't notice that her teacher has turned from the chalkboard and begun making her way through the aisle of desks. The nun stops next to Hurst. And when the girl looks up, the nun demands to know why Hurst is staring out the window. Has she no interest in learning?

Hurst remains silent, hoping the nun will move on to some other poor girl. But the nun bends in closer and continues her reprimand. She asks Hurst if this is how a student should behave in the presence of the Lord, if this is fitting behavior for a respectable child. As the nun chastises Hurst, beads of spit fly out of her mouth and land on Hearst's face, but she doesn't move or say a word. The nun's face turns red, and she wraps the desk, demanding an answer. But Hearst doesn't know what to do. She could remain silent and keep taking this punishing tirade, or she could say something and defend herself, but Hearst doubts

that'll achieve anything. Then an idea strikes her. Hearst looks her teacher in the eye, and without blinking, she tells the nun to go to hell. The nun freezes, and Hearst suppresses a grin. For once, the nun is speechless. But not for long. With her face now a deep crimson, the nun barks at Hurst, telling her to get up and go to the office of the Reverend Mother. Hurst nods and begins walking through the classroom to the front door. She can feel everyone watching her. And at first she feels a bit sheepish.

But slowly her feelings begin to shift. She knows what she just did was out of character. She doesn't have a reputation as a troubled student or an unruly kid. And she only did what was necessary to get herself out of a bad situation. Sometimes you have to do that. But one shocking choice doesn't mean she's a bad person. It's 1973 in Berkeley, California, eight years later. Patricia Hearst steps into her apartment and sets down her bag.

She takes off her coat and hangs it up. And as she stands in the foyer, gazing at her small apartment unit, for a moment, Hearst considers turning back around, walking out the door, getting away from here and far away from her problems. But Hearst's boyfriend, Steve Weed, beckons her to come in and help get dinner ready. walking out the door, getting away from here and far away from her problems. But Hearst's boyfriend, Steve Weed, beckons her to come in and help get dinner ready. For Hearst, this has been a rotten night. She and Weed just saw a movie and spent the whole car ride back bickering about its meaning.

As usual, the conversation devolved into a series of personal attacks. Weed liked the movie, and his praise for the film was hyper-intellectual, as you'd expect from a philosophy PhD student. Hearst, though, thought the movie was kind of silly and over-the-top. Weed argued that her take was evidence of her naivete and social privilege. Hearst pushed back. She wasn't some sort of naive child.

It was the kind of fight that's been happening more and more. And now that they're back at the apartment, and Weed is demanding dinner, Hurst feels stung. A big part of her wants to flee. Their life together wasn't supposed to be like this. When Hurst met Weed, she was still in high school, and Weed was her teacher. She looked up to him, seeing Weed as the exact opposite of the stuffy world she came from. He was a leftist, an intellectual, and had nothing to do with the

Hearst media empire or her grandfather. Getting together with Weed seemed like a chance as a fresh start, a way to build a life untethered from her family legacy. But reality hasn't matched her fantasies. Two years into their relationship, Hearst has found herself fighting to find her voice in any conversation that isn't about household chores. In ways she can't put her finger on, a relationship that was supposed to be progressive now feels backward, a relic of a bygone era. But Hearst hasn't given up hope. She still believes that if she argues her points well enough, her boyfriend will take her seriously.

She can prove that she's more than just a rich kid from an ultra-wealthy family. And she can have the life she wants and a partner who respects her. Hearst grabs a pot and sticks it onto the range top. And as she heats up some leftover soup, she looks over at Weed. Steve, it's a movie. I can have my own opinions about it. I'm not a child. But you are a 19-year-old

getting her first taste of college. So? You're in your mid-20s. Big deal. It is a big deal. There's a lot of life you get exposed to in between 19 and my age. I get it fine,

but I'm not allowed to have an opinion? Not if it's going to embarrass me in front of my friends. Oh, so I get it fine, but I'm not allowed to have an opinion? Not if it's going to embarrass me in front of my friends. Oh, so I'm an embarrassment, huh? Hearst ladles soup into a couple of bowls, and the two head over to the dining room table and grab a seat. As she takes her first spoonful, Hearst pauses and looks up at Weed. You know, you were the same way just last month with your mother. What's that supposed to mean? You treat your own mother like she's unaware that there's a modern world outside her front door. She voted for Nixon, for God's sake. So did half of America, which is exactly our problem. Look, Steve, she's a

person. You don't have to talk down to her or me. Oh, okay. You know, I'm sorry. I'm not going to keep listening to the princess of publishing giving me a lecture on modern America. You and my mother both have no idea how out of touch you both sound. Hearst drops her spoon into her bowl. Steve, you might be getting a PhD in philosophy, but you're not so smart when it comes to treating people the right way. Wow, okay, that's enough. You spend all your time reading books. Have you ever looked up, tried to read the room, maybe be a little more humble? I said that's enough. What if I have more to say? Are you going to stop me?

Weed pushes back his chair. And striding to the other side of the table, he grabs Hearst by the waist and carries her across the room, opens the front door. And before Hearst can stop him, Weed drops her outside, closes the door, and turns the lock. Hearst stands in the cool night air, frozen in shock. Her boyfriend just locked her out of her own apartment. For what feels like an eternity,

Hearst stands outside, cycling through a litany of her grievances, every instance she knows her boyfriend was wrong. But eventually she gets tired and cold, so Hurst knocks on the door and calls out, apologizing. After a few moments, she hears the deadbolt turn and the door unlocks. Hurst opens it and pads back into the apartment. She finds Weed watching TV in the living room. Hurst sits back down at the table and swallows a spoonful of cold soup. Gazing at her boyfriend, whose glasses reflect the pale light of the TV, Hearst tries to reassure herself.

She can fix her life. It won't be like this forever. It's December 1973 in Hillsborough, California, and Catherine Hurst is strolling through her large house, taking in the holiday splendor. Green garlands are draped across the mantles. There's a glittering nativity scene on the grand piano. It's 65 degrees outside in Northern California, but the Hursts have made sure to give their Christmas tree a proper decoration,

one that evokes the joyous spirit of wintertime. As the matriarch of the household, Catherine is fastidious in her attention to detail. And she's happy to see that everything looks right. Even Catherine's hair is perfectly sprayed, and the pearls around her neck are polished and gleaming. Catherine knows that anyone looking in at this house would see a happy family and a life well put together. The Hursts should be a source of envy to anyone.

But even with the garlands and wreaths, even with the expensive artwork on the walls, and the French wine in the cellar, Catherine Hurst can't help but feel deeply uneasy. There's a problem brewing in her family. Catherine has never approved of her daughter Patricia's new fiancé, Steve Weed. But it isn't just Weed's liberal values that chafe at Catherine. He might be pursuing a Ph.D., but he seems lazy and he's arrogant. Catherine often questions how such a man could ever be right for her daughter. Catherine continues her tour of the decorations and approaches a staircase

where there's a photographer waiting with a camera slung over his shoulder. Despite her deepest misgivings, Catherine is going to try to make the best of the situation. Today, Patricia and her fiancé are coming to the house. The family hired a professional to lead a photo shoot so the family can place an engagement announcement in the local papers. Patricia doesn't seem happy about taking part in this ritual, but that's tough luck. Catherine may not be able to control her rebellious daughter or stop her from marrying an inferior man, but she can at least control

the family's public reputation. A few minutes later, the front door of the mansion swings open and Patricia and her fiancé walk in. Patricia is wearing a simple knit dress, an outfit that Catherine believes is fine for the occasion. But Steve Weed is wearing a pair of blue jeans. Worse, he hasn't shaved his mustache. Catherine silently fumes as she stares at the young couple. This is unacceptable. If the public sees this man in a newspaper announcement, they'll believe the Hursts now keep company with deadbeats. So Catherine pulls Patricia aside and hisses that Weed must shave for the photo shoot.

But her daughter pushes back, saying she likes the mustache, and there's no way she's forcing Weed to shave it. Catherine can tell she's not going to win this argument. So she moves on to the next issue, the blue jeans. But Patricia asks what exactly Catherine's solution is? Does she want Weed to put on a pair of her father's dress pants? They won't fit. Surely one pair of jeans won't destroy the family's legacy. Catherine grows increasingly flustered by her daughter's obstinance, and she blurts out that Weed must at least put on a tie. Catherine sighs.

Her daughter has already rejected so much of Catherine's worldview. She waved off Catholicism. She went to Berkeley instead of Stanford. She's engaged this mustachioed man with his liberal politics. Catherine is praying that her daughter will at least compromise on this one thing for the photoshoot. Finally, Patricia asks if wearing the tie will put an end to the argument. Catherine says it will,

and although Patricia nods unhappily, she says Weed keeps a tie in his car and she'll have him fetch it. Soon Weed returns with the tie. It's floppy with a garish print, but Catherine says nothing and waves the couple over to a large painting of Patricia's grandmother.

Patricia and her fiancé pose underneath the portrait as the photographer snaps several shots. And when they're finished, the group begins heading out toward the estate grounds for some outdoor photos.

But as Weed and the photographer step outside, Catherine stops her daughter and asks if they can talk for a moment. Patricia looks wary. But speaking tenderly, Catherine tells her daughter that it's not too late. She would never judge her if she had a change of heart.

Patricia doesn't have to marry this man. Something flickers in Patricia's eyes. She opens her mouth to speak. But then the flicker fades. Patricia says this is just like her mother. She never supports her decisions. Without saying another word, Patricia turns and hurries out through French doors into the garden. Patricia says this is just like her mother. She never supports her decisions. Without saying another word,

Patricia turns and hurries out through French doors into the garden. Standing alone in the mansion, Catherine straightens her back and adjusts her pearl necklace. Her daughter may not realize it, but Catherine only has her best interests at heart. This is just a rebellious phase, and Catherine is sure that someday Patricia will outgrow it. She's bound to clean up her husband, and then she can assume her role in high society.

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I found myself caught up in a new journey to help someone I've never even met. But a couple of years ago, I came across a social media post by a person named Loti. It read in part, Three years ago today that I attempted to jump off this bridge,

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Out in the prison yard, an inmate with hooded eyes and a short afro is sweeping debris into a pile. He gathers together a couple of pieces of cracked wood and a few dead leaves. And as he walks the debris over to a trash bin, he passes a guard and gives a curt nod. This inmate, Sin-kyu M. Tume, knows he's relatively lucky. He has a coveted job in the prison, doing janitorial work. Still, whenever he looks out at the horizon, past the chain-link fences and the guards stationed with guns, Sin-kyu can only dream of what it must feel like to be free. It's a feeling Sinque has never really known. When he was only 14 years old, he fled his abusive father and took up a life of crime to get by. He got involved in street gangs, guns, and volatile relationships. He cycled in and out of the criminal justice system. Trouble just seemed to follow him

wherever he went. But while Sinque is no stranger to prison, his most recent conviction was especially baffling. Sinque was given a sentence of five years to life. He doesn't know how long he's going to be away. It could be a short stint, or he could die in prison. The decision is in the hands of the parole board. And with that kind of uncertainty, an inmate could easily lose his mind. But Sinque has always tried to make the most of things. He's gotten involved with prison activists, and as a black inmate, he's studied up on issues of racial injustice. Sinque has learned about men like George Jackson, an inmate who became a powerful leader behind bars and spearheaded

violent uprisings. Reading about men like Jackson, Sinque has been filled with a spirit of righteousness and rage. And he was inspired to shed his birth name, Donald DeVries, which he called a slave name. Instead, he would be known as Sinque Mtume, after the leader of a slave rebellion and a Swahili word for prophet. Sinque's brush with radical politics also gave him a dream to lead his own rebellion with his own devoted followers. Still, there's only so much he can accomplish

while locked up. And with his unpredictable sentence, all he can really do is dream of the day he gets out. So Sinque continues his sweeping, watching as a correctional officer walks out through the prison side gate and lights up a cigarette. Beyond him is a six-foot chain-link fence topped with curling barbed wire. But beyond that is freedom.

The guard stamps out his cigarette and makes his way back into the main yard, and then closes the gate behind him. But as the guard walks back to the administration building, Sin-Kyu notices something. The gate isn't completely shut. The guard accidentally left it open just to crack. Sin-Kyu squints, trying to see if anyone else noticed. But no one is racing to shut the gate. Sin-Kyu stops, staring at the gate.

Right now, all that stands between him and freedom is that six-foot fence and his own raw fear. Sin-Kyu leans his broom against a wall and begins casually walking toward the gate. Maybe he'll just take a quick look. As he makes his way through the yard, suddenly it sounds like there are footsteps behind him, and Sin-Kyu freezes. But when he turns around, he doesn't see anything except a vast concrete expanse and a plume of steam coming up from the laundry room of the prison building. Without giving it another thought, Sin Cue begins to run. A second later, he reaches the gate and swings it open wildly. Then he begins scaling the six-foot chain-length fence, reaching the top even

as barbed wire tears into his exposed arms, but adrenaline numbs out the pain. Sinque flings himself to the other side and continues to run. He gets farther from the prison, farther from the guards and their nightsticks and shackles and leering contempt. His breath is labored and his legs are tired, but Sinque keeps running, farther from Soledad State Prison and closer to Highway 101. Five months later, Patricia Soltysik pages through a stack of political pamphlets in an apartment in Berkeley, California. As she reads through a list of radical proposals and incendiary arguments, her brown eyes twinkle with excitement. Then Soltysik grabs a pen and starts jotting down

ideas. Though her parents call her Patricia, everyone else knows Soltysik as Ms. Moon. It's her adopted name and part of her new identity as a radical feminist and dropout from Berkeley. In the last few years, Ms. Moon has done a lot of learning and a lot of growing up, and there's much she wants to change about the world. Ms. Moon is sick of the forces that give rise to racism, sexism, greed, and every other form of oppression. She's seen firsthand that the police are willing to fire on innocent protesters, people doing nothing wrong. And with America increasingly feeling like it's falling apart at the seams, Ms. Moon believes the country is ready for revolution. Large-scale change is exactly what she's trying to accomplish. Ms. Moon looks across the room

and watches Sin-kyu M. Tume pacing on a shag rug, gripping a nearly empty glass of plum wine. A friend of Ms. Moon's connected her with Sin-kyu after his escape from Soledad Prison. And for the last couple of months, they've been living and sleeping together. But the two have also been talking about the need for revolution, the imperative for big political change. But tonight, she and Sin Q have decided that they're done with talking. It's time for action. The two have gathered with Ms. Moon's other comrade, Nancy Ling Perry.

And together, these three are brainstorming a constitution for a new radical group. Ms. Moon sits on the ground, paging through a flyer from the radical political group, the Black Panthers. Ms. Moon believes in the mantra of following Black leadership, and she wants to share what she's reading with Sin Kieu. But it can be tough to pin down his ideology, especially once a wine bottle is uncorked. Often, Sin Q gets surly when she talks about any other group, as if they're stealing his thunder. So in talking with Sin Q, Ms. Moon tries to tread lightly. Hey Sin, take a look at this one. I always thought there was a

simplicity to the Black Panthers literature. Maybe something we can learn from. Sin Q narrows his eyes. Panthers, huh? You think it's simplicity or is it stupidity? This says boycott lettuce. Well, yeah, it's in solidarity with the farmers. They were getting exploited. What kind of revolution are you going to start by telling people not to eat lettuce? Well, sin. The Panthers are all over the news. And it was because of these kind of slogans. I mean, people stopped buying lettuce at Safeway. They had an impact. So if we're going to do something similar, maybe we do have something to learn from the Panthers. Nah, forget it. Let's focus on something else. Well, I mean, we need a name for the group. Yeah, I was up late last night. A word in my head. Symbiosis. You know, a black

con like me and two white women? People don't expect us to come together in a revolution. But that's our strength, isn't it? Sin Q throws back the rest of his plum wine. Well, damn right. I want to unite all the struggles together. Let people know we're fighting for freedom. How we're going to crush the fascists together. It's like we're an army. That's it. A freedom army.

An army of liberation. That's an idea. Nancy, are you getting this? Nancy Ling Perry nods and begins typing, taking down notes. Sin Q pours himself another glass of wine and continues pacing the room. Nancy Ling Perry nods and begins typing, taking down notes. Sin Q pours himself another glass of wine and continues pacing the room, now with a wild look in his eyes. Symbiosis.

Symbiosis. Symbiosis. Yeah, but symbiosis what? I know, what? What's the name? We're getting close. Symbiosis Army. Symbi... Symbionese Army.

The Symbionese Liberation Army. The Symbionese Liberation Army. That's the name. Yeah, that's who we are. The SLA. Sync you? You're a genius. Ms. Moon grins as she looks down at the spread of political pamphlets in front of her.

Soon, the Symbionese Liberation Army is going to have its own radical literature. And with Sinque's leadership and Perry by her side, Ms. Moon is certain they'll be able to force some big changes in American society. They're going to have to get organized, and they'll have to finish drafting the Constitution. But Ms. Moon knows all of that is still just talk. What the group really needs is to take action. It's the evening of November 6, 1973, three months later. In a dark alley in Oakland, California,

Sin-Kyu M. Tume stands shivering, his clothes damp from the rain. He peers around a corner and takes another look at a white Chevy Vega sitting in a parking lot. Sinque grips a 12-gauge shotgun and turns back to his comrades, hiding in the shadows. Today, the Symbionese Liberation Army has a target. Marcus Foster, the superintendent of Oakland Unified School District, and a man embroiled in political strife. In recent months, violence has been spiking on school campuses, and people have been calling for change.

But the superintendent came up with a solution that Sinque believes is a terrible abuse of power. Foster is going to hire armed security guards to try to keep schoolchildren safe. Foster is a black man, and Sinque believes he should know better than to use federal money to hire a fascist police force and station them in public schools, the schools of the people. The Black Panthers have already stepped into the fray, promising

they would oversee school security themselves. And while that would be an improvement, Sinqueu believed more righteous action was called for, and that his group, the Symbionese Liberation Army, should be the one leading the charge. So Sin Q hatched a plan. He and his comrades are going to assassinate Superintendent Marcus Foster and take a stand against oppression. If they succeed in their mission, Sin Q believes the SLA will be hailed as one of the most radical revolutionary groups on the left. They'll be feared and respected, and Sin Q will be seen as a visionary. But in order to carry out their mission, Foster has to actually show up. Sin Q and his comrades have been waiting outside a school board meeting for hours, and so far there's no sign of the superintendent. As they stand in the alleyway,

Nancy Ling Perry and Ms. Moon continue to pester Sinque with nervous questions. Are their guns loaded properly? Is the safety on or off? They're concerned the rain might affect their bullets, which are laced with cyanide. As the two women's chatter grows more frantic, Sinque begins to wonder if they should abandon the mission, maybe plan for another day. But then suddenly, a door slams into the distance. When Sinque peers around the corner

again, he spots two figures walking in the shadows. Sinque waits, his heart pounding. And when the men finally come out of the shadows, stepping into a pool of incandescent light, he can see it's them, Marcus Foster and his deputy. Sin Q takes a deep breath and grips his shotgun. But before he can give an order, his comrade Nancy Ling Perry fires off two hasty rounds. The first shot misses, but her second hits the superintendent in the leg. Sinque curses. Perry was supposed to follow directions. The plan's going off the rails. But they don't have time to argue. Sinque takes another deep breath and then raises his Remington at Foster.

He begins firing, round after round, as the two men scream. Sinque's comrade Mismoon follows behind, firing her gun and then taking the fatal shot. As Foster falls dead onto the asphalt, Sinque, Ms. Moon, and Perry flee down the alley, sprinting toward their getaway vehicle. They hop in and the car peels out, speeding down a city street. As he looks out the window, Sinque's mind spins, thinking about what just happened. Soon the world is going to learn about the assassination of Marcus Foster, Sinque's mind spins, thinking about what just happened. Soon the world is going

to learn about the assassination of Marcus Foster. Sinque has no doubt that his group, the SLA, will be fawned over and feared. Sinque will probably be seen as a revolutionary hero. And soon his army will grow larger, more powerful, and capable of taking on much, much more. and capable of taking on much, much more. On January 5th, 2024, an Alaska Airlines door plug tore away mid-flight, leaving a gaping hole in the side of a plane that carried 171 passengers. This heart-stopping incident was just the latest in a string of crises surrounding the aviation manufacturing giant, Boeing. In the past decade, Boeing has been involved in a series of damning scandals and deadly crashes

that have chipped away at its once sterling reputation. At the center of it all, the 737 MAX, the latest season of business wars, explores how Boeing, once the gold standard of aviation engineering, descended into a nightmare of safety concerns and public mistrust, the decisions, denials, and devastating consequences bringing the Titan to its knees, and what, if anything, can save the company's reputation. Now, follow Business Wars on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge Business Wars, the unraveling of Boeing, early and ad-free, right now on Wondery Plus. It's late December 1973, a month and a half after the killing of Marcus Foster.

In a safe house in Concord, California, Sinque M. Tume shifts restlessly on a beat-up old couch. Half a dozen new recruits are seated around him, riffing on ideas for their next revolutionary action. And while there's a palpable energy in the room, a sense that anything is possible, Sinque feels flat. After the murder of Marcus Foster, the Symbionese Liberation Army proudly claimed responsibility through a written announcement. The message introduced the world to the new group and its symbol, a seven-headed cobra. But Sinque was not prepared for the blowback he was about to face. The Black Panthers condemned the act as a slaughter and demanded justice. And at the superintendent's funeral, a racially and ideologically diverse crowd mourned what they called a senseless loss

of a respected city leader. It was clear that the SLA's first revolutionary action had been a failure. And facing public disgrace, Sinque knew he had to figure out a new plan, something to rehabilitate his group's image. Sitting in the living room of their new safe house, Sinque takes a look at his ragtag army. To his left is a young white couple, Bill and Emily Harris, who recently fell in with the group. And it's Bill who says he thinks he has a plan, a way to win support for the SLA. According to Harris, the group should engage in guerrilla theater.

They should hijack a Mack truck filled with meat and distribute the food to the poor. Harris says this kind of action is a little bit like Robin Hood. People would see how the SLA is on the right side of the fight for justice. Sin Q buries his face in his hands. He told his group that from here on out, they had to stay away from anything lethal, since cops are now looking for them. But this idea, a stunt reducing the SLA to a food pantry, is useless. Harris looks stung, but Sin-Kyu isn't concerned. They need real ideas and real plans. So he turns to another recruit, a hardened Vietnam vet named Joe Romero. Romero has the toughness and military training Sin-Kyu has been looking for.

But when prompted for ideas, Ramiro stays silent, and so does the rest of the group. Everyone seems to be waiting for Sinque to tell them what's next. Bill Harris then steps back into the conversation. Harris slides over a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle and tells Sinque to have a look. Scanning the newspaper, Sinque finds an article announcing a wedding engagement. Patricia Hurst is engaged to someone named Steve Weed. Sinque knows the name Hurst, everyone does, but he has no idea what Harris is getting at by pulling out this article. Harris explains that this is what they've been looking for. Sinque has talked about the possibility of a kidnapping, and Hearst is the perfect target.

She's an heiress to a publishing empire, a princess from the ruling class. Sinque stares down at the petite young woman in the photo, mulling over the idea. Kidnapping someone from the Hearst family, a family that made enormous wealth off capitalist propaganda, that would make a splash. And people would see the SLA as a true revolutionary group, one fighting against

injustice and greed. There's no doubt such a high-profile kidnapping would be a risk, especially now that they're being hunted by cops for murder. But for ThinQ, it's a risk worth taking. So the SLA's leader gives Harris the okay to track down Hearst to start preparing for a mission that will put the SLA on the map. It's after midnight on January 10, 1974, in Concord, California. It's an overcast night, and police officer David Duge is patrolling a series of quiet streets in his cruiser. It's about midway through his shift, and he hasn't seen anything worth remarking on. But that's not much of a surprise.

It's a weeknight in suburban Concord. It's not Oakland or San Francisco. But as he rounds a bend, Duge notices a beat-up van that seems out of place on a residential street. And something about it rubs him the wrong way. So, Dooge decides to have a look. Dooge flashes his lights and pulls over his patrol car. He hops out of his cruiser and approaches the van on foot. When he's close enough, Dooge knocks on the driver's side window. It rolls down, revealing two men with greasy hair and mustaches. Duge squints as he takes stock of the young man. Well, evening, gentlemen. Notice you here on the street.

The driver just shrugs. Is that a crime officer? Well, it depends. Can I see some ID? The driver pulls out a license, which lists his name as Robert Scalise. All right, Mr. Scalise. What are you doing in this area tonight? We're just trying to find our way to my friend's house.

Got a little turned around. And your buddy's expecting you at one in the morning? Well, we're running late. And you didn't think to find a pay phone and just give him a call? Instead, you just decided to sit here in the dark? Well, officer, like I said, we're a little lost. We should probably be on our way. Duge frowns and swings his flashlight to the back of the van. It's strange. The windows are covered with black curtains. Nothing about this is adding up, so Duge aims his light at the man in the passenger seat.

I'm going to need to see your ID too, please. The driver shakes his head. Oh, officer, that's not necessary. It's not your call. Let me see that ID, son. The passenger hands over his ID, and Duge inspects it under his flashlight. The name on the card says Joe Romero. Duge takes a moment to review the facts.

These men could be telling the truth. Just a couple of guys trying to hang out with a friend who got a little lost. But the officer isn't going to take any chances. Okay, all right. You fellas just stay here for a minute, and I'll be right back. Dooge returns to his cruiser and runs the names off the IDs.

Nothing turns up from the search, but the officer still has a bad feeling about these guys. And sometimes police work is all about feelings. Duge isn't going to risk anything, so when he returns to the van, he asks the man in the passenger seat to step out. When he does, Duge asks Ramiro if he has any weapons on him.

Ramiro hesitates. And as Duge moves to perform a frisk, Ramiro quickly steps back and opens his jacket, revealing a pistol. The officer snaps into action. He sprints to his cruiser, looking for cover. But before he can reach the car, Ramiro begins firing. The gunshots echo through the quiet streets as Duge leaps behind his own vehicle. Adrenaline courses through his veins.

His pupils dilate. And when there's a break in the gunfire, Douge grips his own weapon and leaps up to fire back. But he misses, and Ramiro flees by foot, taking off into the darkness as the van begins racing down the street.

Douge reaches for his police radio and calls out to dispatch, announcing that he's been fired at and needs backup. Duge waits in his cruiser, holding tight for support. He isn't sure he's safe. The men could still come back and try to finish what they started. And sure enough, right as his backup arrives, the van reappears, driving right toward them,

its engine groaning in the night air. Duge kneels down, aiming his gun at the vehicle. He calls out for the van to stop, and it slows down, eventually coming to a halt. The driver steps out of the van, as the other officers rush forward and place him in handcuffs. With one man now in custody, Officer Duge decides to have a look inside the van. Duge opens the door, and with his flashlight raised, he crouches and climbs through the van. He crawls over beer bottles and fast food wrappers. When he reaches the back of the vehicle, Duge discovers a stack of brightly colored flyers.

He leans closer, inspecting them. He picks one up and sees an image of a seven-headed cobra and the words Symbionese Liberation Army. The officer flinches. The SLA is the group responsible for assassinating Marcus Foster, their violent political radicals. And if the man they arrested tonight is involved with the organization, the police may be one step closer to finding the killers and bringing them to justice. From Wondery, this is episode one

of the kidnapping of Patty Hearst from American Scandal. In our next episode, the Hearst family begins public negotiations to get their daughter back from the SLA. But when Patricia's voice is broadcast across the nation, she makes a startling announcement about her family, her captors, and the next chapter of her life.

To listen to the rest of this season of American Scandal, start your free trial of Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. With Wondery Plus, you can listen to other incredible history podcasts like American History Tellers, History Daily, Tides of History, or Spotify. With Wondery+, you can listen to other incredible history podcasts like American History Tellers, History Daily, Tides of History, and more. Download the Wondery app today. If you'd like to learn more about Patricia Hearst, we recommend the books American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin and Every Secret Thing by Patricia Campbell Hearst and Alvin Moscow.

This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details. And while in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, all our dramatizations are based on historical research. American Scandal is hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham, for Airship. Audio editing by Molly Bach. Sound design by Derek Behrens. Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written by A.J. Marischal.

Edited by Christina Malsberger. Our senior producer is Gabe Ribbon. Executive producers are Stephanie Jens, Jenny Lauer-Beckman, and Marsha Louis for Wondery.